Robert Lawrence Stine was born on October 8, 1943, in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 1965. While at Ohio State, he edited the school's humor magazine, The Sundial.

Stine has written several series of books geared towards younger children and teenagers. Most of his books deal with supernatural events, and critics have commonly compared him to Stephen King. His most popular series has been Goosebumps, although several of the books in that series were ghostwritten. Television producers later turned Goosebumps into a television series for children. Stine also has written several other series, including Fear Street, Ghost of Fear Street, Mostly Ghostly, and Nightmare Room. He also has written several humor books.